Tongs



-July zo 1926. 1,593,000

E. C. WILSON ToNGs Filed Deo. 27, 1921 Patented July zo, 1926.

UNITEDSTA-Tesi .y ELIHU GLEMENQ: wII." so1\r,"vo'.-ry nos ANGELES,cArI'rnNrA.

TONGS.

` Applioationled December 27,1921. Serial Ilo. 524,937.

This application relates to tongs similar,

lgenerally, to the tongs set forth in my United States Patent No.1,561,963, issued' November 17,1925, it being, however, di-

5 rected to oneparticular form of tongs belonging to the class coveredby said patent.

A distinctive feature of this invention-is theprovision of ytongs with aspring latch for connecting the casing engaging parts around the.casing, which latch is located between the lever and one end oftheseries ofl links which engages the casing. With this particularcombination and arrangement the Itongs can be opened and closed bymoving la single series ofb links.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of` a latch devicebetween the lever and links by which. thelever and links are connectedwithout moving the lever. `The series 'of links is arranged in operatingposition and will not-releaseuntilactuated by:

the operator.` The latch devicefis not de- VLApendent forEits'voperation upon movement or manipulation" of the lever and'cannot bereleased by` movements of the-'lever such yas will cause the release 'ofordinary`r` tongs. This makes the present tongs particularly lsafe anddesirable foruseas itf is not necessary for `th`e yoperator -t-o keepconstant pressure onthe tongsin order to prevent their becoming releasedfrom the casing. 'e

The various' objects and features of the invention will be best and morelvfully underr stood from the'following detailed, descriptionoffatypical preferredform of the invention throughout vwhich reference ishad to the accompanying drawings in which- .v Fig. 1 is a side elevationof the ltongs with the links closed, or in operating position, certainparts beingwbroken away to showin section; Fig.l 2 isan edge elevationyor' the tongs, being a view taken as indicatedby 'Aline 2-2 on Fig. 1;and Fig. v3 is a side elevation of operatingportlon of the tongs showingthe links -open, so that-the tongs can` be placed on'or removed from acasing.

The tongs provided by the present invention comprises, generally, alever 10, a `series Vor' pivotally connected links 11,' one end -Oftheseries being' permanently plvotally connected to one end of thelever, and-a catch device. 12 for detachably connecting they other endofthe series yof linksl t o the lever r 10. The particular lever 10 whichI illus^-` trate in the drawings comprises a handle latch deviceautomatically catches when the armsv 24 which form a yoke.

tends between the `arms 21 offlink 15 and` through the lug 23 of link`17 to permapart 13, and a lpair of spaced arms 14 extendingfrom theinner end ofthe handle 13 longitudinally of the handle. The handle`part-13 preferably tapers vsomewhat toward its outer end where it isformed withan eye 13% The arms 14, which are preferably formed integralwith the handle part 143, are so spacedLA and shaped as to form a yokefor carrying one endA of the series of links and a part of the catchmechanism by which the other end 'of the series of links is connected tothe lever. e e bolts 15 ma be arranged to extend from t e upper and owersidesof the handle at the center of gravity of the entire device. Itwillbe readily understood, of course, that -'the present invention isnot specifically limlited to any particular form or-constructionportions, vdepending `upon conditions of,

manufacture, use, etc. f .4 The series4 of links 11, which, ineect, is

outerlink 16 and amiddle link 17, which For convenience in handling,`

v8o a casing engaging or gripping mechanism, comprises-three links, aninner llink 15, an .y

connects they inner and vouter links. TheY Sinnerlink '15 has a body artwith4 an inner 'surface 18 'curved to con orm to the curvaf ture of theouter surface of thecasing onv which the tongs is to operate, and isformed at its inner end with a lug part19 which extends between theouterV end portions of the arms 14. lA pivot pin `20 extends be tweenthe/outerl end portions ofthe1 arms 14 and through the lug part 19 ofthe link 15 4 tfo permanently pivotally connect the inner link to thelever 10. A pair of spaced arms 21 extend from the outer end of the link15 to form a yoke.

and at the other end with a pair of spaced A pin 25 exnently, pivotallyconnect the links 15 and 17. The outer4 link 16 has a body part with anand 22 of the links 15 and 17 respectively, to

The middle link 17 has a body pm with inner surface 26 curved, like thesurfaces 18y r conform to the curvature of the outer surface of thecasing on which the tong is to operate, and is formed at one end with alug 27 which extends between the arms 24 of link 17. A pin 28 extendsbetween the arms 24 of link 17 and through the lug 27 of link 16 topermanently pivotally connect the links 16 andf17. The'links 15, 16 and17 being thus pivotallyconnected are capable of being opened out asillustrated in Fig. 2 for the purpose of receiving or discharging acasingY and are capable of being swung in as illustrated in Fig. 1 sothat they encircle a casing and so that their surfaces 18, 22 and 26 areconcentric and are practically continuous. It is to be understood, ofcourse, that the present invention is not limited to the series oflinks. or the casing engaging mechanism, comprising three links as it isobvious that various numbers of links may be employed in carrying outthe invention, a construction involving three links simply being onewhich is simple, effective, and which may be employed advantageously. Itis preferred in practice to construct the several links of the series sothat they are substantially equal in length and it is desirable, from acommercial standpoint, to construct as many of them alike as possible sothat they are. interchangeable, etc. In the particular case which Iillustrate in the draw ings the links 15 and 17 are alike, the links 16being of somewhatdi'erent construction as I will hereinafter describe.It may also be stated that in ractice the inner surfaces of the severallin s are preferably made as long as possible, and may be constructed orformed 1n special manners so that they will be articularly effective ingrip ing and hol ing objects which are engaged) by them when the deviceis being operated.

The catch device 12 is adapted to connect a part of the series of linkswith a part of the lever 10, which in the present case is the outer endof the outer link 15 and the arms 14 of the lever 10. The catch devicecomprises, generally, a latch 30 pivotally mountedl on one of the partsto be connected, and a. lug 31 extending from the outer part and adaptedto be engaged by and to cooperate with the latch 30. In the particularconstruction illustrated in the drawings the latch 30 is connected tothe arms 14 and comprises two spaced arms 33 the inner ends of which arepivotally connected to the arms 14 by a pivot pin 34 and the outer endsof which are spaced and connected by a cross part 35. Pivot 34 islocated on lever 10 at a point spaced from pivot 20 and further removedfrom the handle end than is pivot 20. The inner or back surface 36 ofthecross part 35 is curved concentrically with the pivot pin 34. The lug 31is formed integral with the outer end portion of the link 16 and islocated on the link 16 s0 that it will extend between the arms 33 of thelatch 30 and behind the cross part 35 of the latch 30 when the links arein their closed position as illustrated in Fig. 1, and the latch 30 isswung to the Yposition illustrated in Fig. 1. The rear surface 38 of thelug 31 is of the same curvature as the inner surface 36 of Ythe crosspart 35 and is adapted to be in engagement with the inner surface 36 ofthe cross part 35 when the parts are in the position just described. Thepivot pin 34 connects the arms 33 of the latch 30 to the arms 14 at apoint spaced inwardly of the pivot in 20. When the links have closed andthe atch 30 is in engagement with the lug 3 1 as illustrated in Fig. 1,the link 16 is effectively connected to the lever 10 and the device canbe'operated without causing, or tending in any way to cause,disengagement of the latch 30 and lug 31. The particular catch devicewhich I herein set forth is fully described and claimed inmy said issuedpatent.

A spring 40 is carried on theY pivot pin 34 between the arms 33 of thelatch 30 and has one end connected to the pivot pin and one ing thelatch 30 in position to cooperate with the lug 31 there is nopossibility of the catch device becoming accidently released byvibration or jarring as it is necessary for the olperator to positivelyand distinctly swing t e latch in the direction opposite to thatindicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, against the resistance of the spring40 1n order to disengage the latch and lug. For the purpose of causingthe latch 30 to automatically cooperatively receive the lug 30, upon thelinks being moved from an open position such as is shown in Fig. 3 tothe closed position shown in Fig. 1, the arms 33 are formed withextension 50 which engages the end of the handle 13 to limit themovement of the latch in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1,and the outer surfaces 51 and 52 of the cross part 35 and lug 31,respectively, are curved so that they cooperate to cause lifting of thelatch, or swaying of the latch in the direction opposite to thatindicated by the arrow in Fig. 1,v upon the links being closed, to allowthe cross part 35 to lift over the lug and drop behind it. Thisconstruction causes the catch device to operate automatically upon theclosing of the links and make it unnecessary for the operator tomanipulate the catch device in any way in order for it to be ellectivelyclosed or set in operating condition. It is to be particularly notedthat the catch mechanism will operate to connect the link 16 with thelever 10 automatically upon the links being moved to their closedposition and does not require l any manipulation or movement of thelever 10. It is only necessary for the proper catching of the catchdevice that the handle 13 be in approximately the position illustratedin Fig. 1 of the drawings.

In operation the links are opened or swung out to a position such as isillustrated in Fig. 3 to permit of a casing, or the like, enteringbetween them.v When the casing is in place as indicated by t'lie dottedlines A in Fi 3 the links are swung inwardly to encircI it, or untiltheir inner surfaces are in engagement with the outer surface of thecasing. During movement of the links to their closed position thesurface51 of the cross part 35|is engaged by the surface 52 of the lug 31causing the latch to be lifted ,until the cross part has passed over thelug when the latch immediately moves in the direction indicated by thearrow in Fig. 1 so that the cross part is back of the lug. Vhen thelinks are closed on a casing and the catch device has operated toconnect the link 16 and lever 10, movement of the handle 14 in thedirectionl indicated bv the arrow in Fig. 1 will cause the links toconstrict and grip the casing. In practice I prefer that the lever 13 bepositioned during the closing of the links so that the cross part of thelatch 30 will swing into place back of the lug 31 just as the linksreach their closed position. After the cross part 35 of the latch isback of the lug 31, no movement of the lever 13 can cause the links tobe disconnected from the lever but movement of the handle 15 in thedirection indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1 from the position justdescribed will cause the several links to grip and turn the casing.lVith the construction provided by the present invention there ispractically no lost motion, as soon as the catch device has actuated toconnect the outer link and lever movement of the handle in the directionindicated in Fig. 1 will cause immediate gripping of the casing by thelinks. The present device operates in much the same manner as does the'device set forth in the first mentioned patent in that the casingengaging mechanism is positively set or locked on the casing when it isat once arranged in place thereon, the connection of the casing engagingmechanism does not depend upon manipulation of the handle 13, and verylittle movement of the lever after the setting of the casing engagingmechanism will cause gripping of the casing by the casing engagingmechanism.

When it is desired to release the links from the casing the latch 30 canbe lifted out of engagement with the lug 31 against the resistance ofspring 40 whereupon the links can be freely swung from the closedposition to an open position such as I illustrate in Fig. 3. The curvedart '35 of the latch forms a convenient han le which may be gripped bythe operator when lifting thelatch out of engagement with the lug 31.

`When the links have been opened out to a position such as isshown inFig. 3 the tong can be very easily removed from or placed on a casing.For convenience in swinging the links between the closed position shownin Fig. 1 to an open position such as is shown in Fig. 3, I provide ahandle 7 0 on the outer link 16. It will be obvious how an operator cangrip the handle and easily and conveniently manipulate the links in themanner above described.

In actual practice casing' tongs of the character herein set forth areactuated by what is known as a jerk line, which in turn is actuated byan engine. The line is attached to the eye 15 in the end of the handleand the tong is held in the derrick by means of a line attached to oneof the eye bolts '15, A light line is attached to a clevis orV eye boltattached to the handle. The operator draws the lever backward, throughanangle of about 90 after which the jerk lines, actuated by the engine,draws it forward, causing the gripping mechanism, Vor links, to takehold upon the pipe or casing and turn it `aboutl one uarter of a turn.The amount the lever, an therefore thecasing, is moved depends upon thestroke of the jerk line and upon the leverage the jerk line has upon thehandle. The direction in which the casing is turned depends upon thearrangement of the tongs and the direction of pull of the jerk line. Theo erator then draws the tong back again an the operation is repeateduntil the joint is set up tiIght, or is disengaged, as the case may be.f ordinary tongs are accidentally loosened they frequently disengage andthen, the engine running ahead at high speed, the tongs are thrown withgreat force directly at the operator, resulting frequently in seriousaccidents. This invention completely averts this danger in that it makesit impossible for the tongs to become detached from the casing and thusthrown in a manner to injure the operator standing out of the path ofthe handle.

Having set forth only a typical preferred form of my invention, I do notwish to limit myself to the particular details hereinabove set forth butwish to reserve to myselfany changes or variations that may appear tothose skilled 'in the art or that mayy fall within the scope of thefollowing claims.

Having described a preferred form of my invention, I claim: v

1. A pipe tongs, comprising a lever, a series of pivotallyinterconnected curved links, one end of the Vseries bein pivotallyconnected to the lever at one en a spring actuated latch member pivotedto the handle at a point removed from the first mentioned pivotal pointand further from said lever and in such position adapted tov engageoutside the latching lug, a' spring urging the latch member toward thepipe, a

stop limiting such movement, and said member and lug havinginterengageable faces acting to raise said member and allow the lug tpass beneath it when the links are swung about a pipe.

2. A pipe tongs, comprising a lever, a series of pivotallyinterconnected curved links, one end of the series being pivotallyconnected to the lever lat one end, a spring actuated latch memberpivoted t0 the handle at a point removed from the first mentionedpivotal point and further from said end 0f the handle than is the firstmentioned side 0f the lever and the latch member extending to theopposite side of the lever and in such position adapted to engageoutside the latching lug, a spring urging the latch member toward thepipe, a stop limiting such movement, and said member and lug havinginterengageable faces acting to raise said member and allow the lug topass beneath it when the links are swung about a pipe, the lug having a.latching shoulder on its side away from the lever and the latchingmember having a cooperating shoulder facing the lever, and at least oneof said shoulders being curved and concentric with the pivotof thelatching member.

In Witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my namethis th day of December 1921.

ELIHU CLEMENT IVILSON.

